We will still be afflicted with rogue, unlicensed interior designers, but at least those scandalous massage therapists will have to shape up:
After nixing a similar push by interior designers, Gov. Mitch Daniels begrudgingly signed legislation Wednesday that will begin state regulation of massage therapists.
Supporters say the effort will strike a blow against seedy spas acting as fronts for prostitution, an argument that resonated with the Republican governor.
"The decisive factor in my decision to sign (Senate Bill 320) was testimony during hearings on the bill by law enforcement officials, including the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, that certification requirements for massage therapists would be a useful new weapon in their efforts to combat prostitution in their communities," Daniels said in a written statement. "Therefore, despite some misgivings about the creation of yet another professional regulatory board (raising to 38 the number of such boards and commissions in our state), I have signed (SB 320) into law."
Prostitutes who want to disguise their true occupational behavior will now have to infiltrate some other profession -- interior design, perhaps. They make house calls, and you can have your furniture and libido rearranged for one reasonable fee. Of course, your living room may end up looking like a massage parlor.
